The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines. More particularly, the present invention relates to air cleaners for internal combustion engines.
Internal combustion engines mix air with fuel to produce a combustible fuel-air mixture. Before the air enters the engine, it often passes through an air cleaner to remove any undesirable particles (e.g., dirt, grass clippings, twigs, and the like).
Current air cleaners generally include a pleated filter media contained within a filter housing. Generally, the filter housing includes two halves that bolt together. The filter element is positioned between the two halves and the bolt is tightened until the housing makes solid contact with both ends of the filter media. Thus, the screw is used to assure that the filter media is properly seated within the housing.
Other air cleaners use simple connections to assemble the housing but require the maintenance of tight tolerances to assure that the filter element is properly positioned. The tight tolerances increase the cost associated with the manufacture of the housing.